Holy warfare?

This holy warfare to bring in the kingdom strategy was the rejected option for Jesus, and so we dare not ignore the presence of a Zealot in the circle of Jesus’ twelve apostles. Simon is called the “Zealot” in Luke 6:15, and one has to wonder about the violent proclivities of James and John, who are dubbed “sons of thunder” in Mark 3:17. Jesus shut down the pervasive desire on the part of the disciples to lord it over others (Mark 10:35–45). Jesus’ strategy was dead opposed to holy warfare, because for him the way of “winning” was “losing,” and the way to resurrection and kingdom was through love and through the cross. Kingdom cannot be connected to holy warfare; holy warfare destroys the kingdom. Jesus’ words are not “Grab some swords and let’s head for the hills surrounding Jerusalem” but “Take up your cross daily.”— Kingdom Conspiracy, page 50